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The other defendants were arrested in Latvia - Karens Pelcis, 25, was sentenced to six years, Madara Stromane, 24, was given six years; Andris Krauklis, 39, was sentenced to 15 months and Imitra Didzus, 33, was given 14 months.

Judge James Sampson said members of the Pelcis family and Madara Stromane, worked shifts to control the victims while “living a lavish lifestyle and spending on bank accounts that did not belong to them and in fact harvesting the earnings of their victims”.

He said: “What is clear from the evidence is that the defendants are thoroughly greedy and dishonest and clever.

“They had an astute understanding of their victims, who had low expectation of life.

What's been happening in the courts?

The gang had initially pleaded not guilty to modern day slavery charges and chose to take their cases to trial.

But more than a month in, they all suddenly decided on a u-turn and changed their pleas to guilty.

Karlis Aleksandrovs, Jolanta Pelce, Andris Krauklis and Imitra Didzus were released from custody, having been in jail since their arrest.

Two other defendants were discharged.

Some of the defendants may serve their sentences in their home country of Latvia. A slavery and trafficking prevention order was imposed upon all nine, preventing them from committing similar crimes in future.

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The case – the biggest of its kind ever investigated by Derbyshire police – saw officers working closely with the State Police of Latvia, the Latvian Ministry of Justice, the National Crime Agency, Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and the CPS.

Thanks to that joint effort, 28 victims of the gang were identified, with 15 travelling to the UK to tell of their ordeals in court.

One of the victims said in court that the gang gave him between £1 and £5 per week, even though he knew he was earning much more. He said: “I was working and keeping a note of my hours. I thought they would be honest and give me the money.”

Another victim was asked if he spoke to the gang about how they used his earnings to fund their own lifestyle. He said: “No because I had my £10 we had agreed on and they said the agreement is £10 the rest is not my business.

“I had food and a place to stay - it was not for me to worry about. Now I think it was like slavery.”

A third victim told the court he felt “ashamed and afraid to ask” what was happening to the money he had earned.

DC Kane Martin, who was the officer in the case, said: “During the 18-month investigation, we were all taken aback by the callous nature of how the victims in this case were treated by the ringleaders and their operatives.

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“We saw first-hand how vulnerable they truly were, and the conditions they were forced to live in while earning money for someone else compounded the cruelty of the gang.

“Their bravery is commendable and this investigation shows that we will help and support anyone subjected to this heinous crime.

“No one should be forced to live and work in these conditions and what today’s sentence demonstrates is that Derbyshire police won’t stand for it.

“I hope it will encourage anyone who finds themselves in a similar position to come forward and speak to us, because we will do everything we can to help.”

The investigation began when a man walked into a police station in Derby, telling staff he was homeless. He was referred to Derby City Council for support but when they suspected he was actually a victim of modern slavery, they contacted the force.

Meanwhile, a taxi firm in the city called the police to report that a man had assaulted a woman in their offices. When police arrived, the man had gone but the woman, Madara Stromane, gave officers an address in Balaclava Road – the same house the victim who came to the police station told officers about.

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When police visited the house, they found a group of Latvian men living inside.

Detective Sergeant Carl Chetwyn said: “The criminals in this case didn’t see borders; they saw vulnerable men who they could exploit for their own gain.

“We knew that we needed to ignore borders and work with an overseas force to snare the main players in this gang and truly dismantle their operations.

“This marked a totally new approach for Derbyshire police. It was a massive undertaking, one that saw us treading into uncharted territory, but what today’s result shows is that it was all worth it.

“By executing this operation with the help of the Crown Prosecution Service, other agencies and the Latvian State Police, we have shown that it doesn’t matter how far these gang members run; if they exploit people on our patch, we will chase them and bring them to justice.”

Adam Thompson, senior manager at the National Crime Agency’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit, said: “This group recruited vulnerable victims with false promises, housing them in appalling conditions and exploiting them ruthlessly. Their bravery in coming forward to give evidence is incredible.

“International co-operation was key to bringing these criminals to justice, and this investigation demonstrates that we have the ability to target perpetrators not only in the UK but also overseas through the NCA’s international network.

“Modern slavery is a priority for law enforcement, and working with our partners both in the UK and abroad we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and prosecute the criminal networks involved in human trafficking and exploitation.”

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